What I know
by Pharies
Summary: Ron informs Astoria of something that she may not have wanted to know, but had been curious about. Not a pairing. Just a sort of friendship.


-_2011-_

She had been married to him for several years now. She loved him, but there was something changing in their relationship that she couldn't place.

They had originally gotten together as a political move for him. They acted like they were dating, happy, for a few months before he proposed, which she wasn't expecting. She had said yes though. She had actually been happy in those months, even when she felt like he wasn't quite as happy as he could be without her.

She had told herself that they wouldn't get pregnant so that they could annul the marriage after three years. They found out she was with child three months before their three years would have been up. He had locked himself in his study for about a week before he accepted that they would be together for a long time.

His mother was watching their son while they attended a Ministry event. After the normal pictures and talking to the press, she sat with him at their assigned table. She didn't know how it happened, but they ended up at a round table with the Potters and Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley. She had felt her husband tense up as they greeted the other two couples. There was pleasant talk while she noted her husband's behavior.

Then she noticed _her_ behavior. How she shied from her husband. How she kept glancing across the table at a man that was not her own. How _she _would look away quickly, knowing she was wrong. She leaned into her husband and whispered something. He nodded, and then both of them were standing.

"Care to dance, Astoria?" Ron asked. She blinked up at him in surprise, but after seeing his hesitant smile, she accepted. Harry had taken Hermione onto the dance floor already, and her own husband had asked Ginny to dance. She felt like this was all planned, but she said nothing as she took the slightly clammy palm of Ronald Weasley and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor.

They danced in silence as she watched the interactions of her husband with Mrs. Potter. It wasn't awkward, like she thought it would be, but sort of how she felt Draco should have danced with her.

"How is your son?" he asked as she watched Harry cut in to take his wife from Draco.

"He's doing fine. Cissy is watching him tonight so that we could come to the event. It's important for Draco to be at these things." Ron nodded and smiled slightly at her. "What about your daughter? Rose, right? She's about the same age as my Scorpio." He blinked at her.

"Yeah, she's fine." He sounded a little absent, and when she followed his gaze, she realized why. Hermione and Draco were now dancing, though it didn't seem like they realized how they looked. She was laughing at something he said; he had a big smile on his face, an odd thing for Astoria to see, even after so many years of marriage now. They looked like they were the couple in love, and that was when it clicked. _She_ was the reason Draco had locked himself in his room. _She _was the reason there was an even greater shift.

Hermione Weasley was the reason that her world was slowly crumbling, even while she tried to keep it up on her own.

"Figured it out, have you?" Ron said quietly as he pulled her a little closer before twirling her slowly to the song, and bringing her back to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Astoria said, trying to be calm. She wasn't really angry. She was kind of hurt.

"You know bloody well what I'm talking about." Ron had known for some time. He had suspected that Rose wasn't his at one point, but he knew that she was. They were quiet while he led her across the dance floor.

"How long?" Astoria finally whispered.

"I'm not really sure, but I'm pretty sure that he originally got with you to make her leave me." Her heart squeezed. "He was about to give up on that notion when she went to him and told him that she was pregnant. I only know this much because I thought she was cheating on me at one point and followed her. They had a nasty row. She told him that it wasn't fair to you or myself that they loved each other. That they shouldn't be playing games. He told her to run away with him then. No one knew she was pregnant and they could just say it was his, get married and be happy. "

"But Rose and Scorpio are about the same age," Astoria interrupted. Ron smiled at her kindly and shook his head.

"Hermione was pregnant once before Rose. She miscarried from the stress. That child would have been nearly four years older than Rose. She told me more about all of this after the two of you had gotten married. She was so depressed all the time that I had asked her what was wrong on so many occasions that she finally cracked. She loves him, Astoria. She loves him in a way she'll never love me, though I don't doubt she loves me as well. It's just different. And I'm sure that he's the same way with you."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She could barely stand. She didn't understand why Ron would tell her all of this.

"Because it's what I know, and I feel as if you should know as well. Knowing helped me to stop worrying." Astoria sighed and fell against him slightly. Ron didn't move away just rubbed her back as he guided her back to their table.

People throw Hermione and Draco together, but what about the other side of things? This is just something that I feel could have happened.


End file.
